The present invention relates generally to vehicle endgates and, in particular, to hinge assemblies for such vehicle endgates.
Vehicle endgates, and in particular, liftgates on pickup trucks typically do not include a mechanism for damping movement or lift assist for tailgate closing. More recently, though, some pickup trucks include lift assist to not only reduce the effort needed by one closing the tailgate, but to also add a perceived feeling of quality when opening and closing the tailgate.
A concern arises with particular lift assist mechanisms in that the additional mechanisms do not package within the rear vehicle structure without interfering with the vehicle structure or other vehicle subassemblies. Such re-design of vehicle structure or components may be more cost prohibitive than the addition of a lift assist is worth. Thus, it is desirable to provide a vehicle endgate lift assist that not only provides lift assist and damping, but also minimizes the packaging space needed for such an assembly.